


tumblr drabbles

by doorwaytoparadise



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Tumblr drabbles, some shippy and some not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-08-21
Packaged: 2018-04-16 09:48:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4620765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doorwaytoparadise/pseuds/doorwaytoparadise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles prompted on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Douglas and 'Picking Up The Pieces'

Shards of glass littered the kitchen floor, glinting in the dim light, and Douglas stared down at the mess. He had watched the bottle fall from the counter, almost in slow motion, and his eyes had tracked it to the tile. He observed in a sort of numb fascination as the impact shattered the surface immediately, cracks splintering up from the bottom, until the whole thing fell apart. The momentum had sent the pieces skittering across the floor, sliding and bouncing and tumbling, before finally settling where they lay, solitary and broken.

Douglas watched all this happen and absently thought it might be some sort of twisted metaphor for himself. Much like the bottle in it’s descent, he had been shattered, broken open, and left alone, the sting of loss still pounding through his chest. He wondered if it was irony that it was a Talisker bottle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marlas and 'Everyday Magic'

Increased heartbeat, sweaty palms, sudden nervousness in the pit of his stomach. Fidgety hands, trouble forming words, eyes that kept sneaking glances.

The first officer might be magic, Martin thought wryly, if he could provoke that sort of response every time he walked in the room. Or smiled. Or laughed. Or looked at Martin in a not-mocking/teasing/exasperated/etc way. Not to mention the near hyper-awareness Martin had for him. His hair, his eyes, his hands. His voice and the smell of tea, almond, and faint jet fuel that lingered around him.

Magic, Martin repeated to himself. It had to be magic.   
Because love was something that sought reciprocation, and he couldn’t see that happening any time soon.

(He’d later learn that he was, thankfully, wrong.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Douglas and 'Running Away'

A distant jet passed through the sky, heading for destinations unknown. Douglas tracked the movement with his eyes, until the plane had vanished and only trails of white remained.

He wished he could vanish that easily.

Just hop on some random flight, or pilot it himself, and fly off to the far corners of the world. Leave behind his responsibilities, his worries, his life. The stress and marriages, the hurt and the alcohol. Leave it all and never look back. But a flash of faces in his mind’s eye always gave him pause. For all that was weighing him down in the world, there were still those who helped him get his feet off the ground, who relied on him in a way that didn’t feel like a burden. When it came down to it, there were some things he simply couldn’t leave behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Douglas/Carolyn and 'Innocence'

“Douglas, I swear, if you chase off one more of MJN’s captains, I’m going to sack you.”

“Who, me?”

Feet kicked up on his desk, hands folded behind his head, Douglas was the picture of nonchalance. The innocent look he had plastered onto his face, though, was one of the least convincing things Carolyn had ever seen. She narrowed her eyes, sending him a glare that let him know exactly what she thought of that particular expression. He tilted his head, conceding the point, and adopted a vaguely amused look.

“Honestly, Carolyn, its not my fault they’re all rubbish. If you hired a better captain, I wouldn’t have to find a way to get rid of him.”

Carolyn huffed in annoyance, knowing she couldn’t exactly stop Douglas from whatever scheme he concocted, and accepting that the three captains he had run off weren’t all that great anyway.

“If the next one is even remotely tolerable and you manage to get him arrested or terrified or whatever else you’ve done, I assure you, you will regret it.”

Douglas only smirked in response, and Carolyn rolled her eyes before stalking away.

Douglas would take it to his grave that he had plotted to get rid of the last captain the minute he had muttered in the flight deck that Carolyn was an “unbearable bitch.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marlas and 'Exhaustion'

Martin and Douglas both stumbled in the door of their shared flat, completely worn out. The flight had been long, the clients had been stressful, and there had been very little rest for both pilots. With a groan, Douglas barely took the time to remove his jacket and shoes, before he dropped onto the sofa, rolling onto his back and flinging one arm over his eyes. Martin, running on just as low of energy as Douglas, still had the sense to close and lock the door, and dim the lights, before following his partner’s example and toeing off his shoes. He tossed his jacket over the back of the sofa, took a moment to assess Douglas’ position, and promptly flopped right on top of the other man.

Douglas grunted as Martin’s head landed on his chest and his weight settled, but otherwise made no move to protest. Martin curled into Douglas’ warmth, burying his face in the broad chest under him, and absently toyed with the idea of never moving again. They stayed that way for several minutes, breathing in rhythm, before Douglas spoke.

“We’d probably be better off moving to the bed, you know.”

Martin made an utterly disgusted sound, and didn’t move an inch. Douglas snorted, and moved the arm over his eyes to settle across Martin’s shoulders, hand sinking into the ginger curls. Martin made a sound much like a purring cat, and Douglas smiled fondly. He was far too tired to actually bother to move, and with Martin sprawled over him, he found himself perfectly content to stay there a while longer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt; Martin/Herc and 'Dangerous Territory'

Flirtatious words, passing comments, and stolen glances. Toeing the line, but never crossing it. Neither man truly dared to enter into that territory. Herc found the captain of MJN to be a unique experience he had never before encountered. He was fascinated, like staring into fire. Martin had never had the attention of a man like Herc before and he relished it, soaking up the subtle compliment.

The two of them saw the other as something fascinatingly desirable, but in the same way one would desire an explosion. Delightful to watch, but dangerous to be a part of. New, different, exciting, but not what they were looking for long-term.

So Herc would smile easily at the shorter man, before strolling off behind Carolyn, and Martin would watch the other captain admiringly, before turning back to his first officer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marlas and 'Pretense'

Martin and Douglas had been dating for a while, though neither had made it obvious. They had something of an agreement not to make it public knowledge, though it was more on Martin’s part than Douglas’. Douglas couldn’t care less, while Martin, though not the least bit concerned about what other people may think, wanted to preserve some measure of professionalism while they were both in uniform. Douglas respected that, really he did, but he was also Douglas, and naturally pushed the boundaries to see how flustered he could get his boyfriend without letting anything on to anyone else.

Small teasing gestures or innuendo-packed quips had Martin’s face going red quite quickly, and Douglas found himself quite chuffed by this newest game. He wanted to see how far he could go before someone saw through their little charade. Casually platonic gestures of arms around shoulders became lingering touches, and a simple change of inflection turned an otherwise innocent statement into a suggestive one-liner. Douglas even managed to sneak a kiss, when the technician they were speaking to looked away for a moment. Yes, seeing what he could get away with without anyone else the wiser was certainly far more entertaining than any word game.

Of course, he hadn’t quite anticipated Martin giving back as good as he had been getting.

(Douglas had to admit, Martin grabbing his arse while keeping a completely straight face and not even pausing in his conversation with Carolyn of all people, was particularly impressive.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marlas and 'Introduction'
> 
> inspired by this tumblr post: http://danger-days-of-our-lives.tumblr.com/post/126146422089/likehemmins-imagine-that-youve-been-stood-up

Douglas checked his phone again. Five more minutes had passed and still no sign of his date. It had been nearly 30 minutes since the agreed upon time to meet at the restaurant, and Douglas was starting to wonder if he had been stood up. The waitress had been by several times, and every time Douglas had politely requested more time, making a casual remark that the other person would be here soon enough. Each time she came back, her smile was more and more sympathetic, and the couple of parties seated nearby were starting to shoot him looks that said they felt sorry for him. Douglas sighed.

It had been a while since he had simply dated anyone, and he was feeling a bit out of practice, and the three marriages behind him really didn’t help him feel any better. Another 20 minutes, and Douglas was wondering why the hell he was still there. It looked like the entire waitstaff knew his date had pulled a no-show, and the looks they all kept shooting him had him moving to leave. Just as he was about to stand, a slim figure dropped into the seat across from him.

Ginger hair was the first thing Douglas saw, followed by lightly tanned skin, flushed cheeks, and bright blue-green eyes. The young man, and he was certainly younger than Douglas, grinned sheepishly at him, looking nervous, but exuding a genuine warmth towards Douglas that he hadn’t seen for quite some time. 

“I am so sorry I’m so late! Traffic was absolute hell, and you know how terrible my luck is. I managed to get stuck behind two accidents in a row.”

This declaration was made loud enough to be heard by most of the people around them without sounding forced, and Douglas found himself blinking in surprise as he processed the words. The other man rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed gesture, before leaning in close to Douglas.

“Look, whoever it was that didn’t show up is a terrible person. Just go along with it, yeah?”

Douglas found himself kind of touched at the kindness of this stranger, and really, what was the harm of playing along? It would save him from those pitying looks and a ruined evening, and the guy was terribly attractive anyway. Douglas relaxed back into his seat, letting a smile spread over his face, eyes crinkling in amusement at the relieved look it got in return. The waitress wasted no time in bustling over, looking very cheerful, and Douglas spent the next hour or so having what had to be the best date he’d been on in a long time. The other man was charming in his own way, refreshingly genuine, and possessed a sense of humor that matched Douglas’ own. Conversation flowed easily, and he could only be thankful that the night had worked out as it had.

Once the bill was paid, and they exited the building, they stopped for a moment, soaking in the events that had just transpired. Douglas turned to look at the man beside him, and realized something.

“You know, I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

The other man looked startled, before he laughed, and Douglas joined in, because it truly was funny that they had spent that entire time together and had never exchanged names. They hadn’t needed to, had connected immediately in a way that had Douglas wanting to see where this could go, but a second date would likely require a name, at the very least. Eyes still dancing with lingering amusement, the other man grinned.

“Martin. I’m Martin, uh, Martin Crieff.”

“Douglas. Douglas Richardson.”

“Well, Douglas, if you’re not annoyed with me, I’d like to, that is, if you want, maybe we could do this again sometime?”

Martin looked at the ground, clearly nervous for Douglas’ response. He had made a bold move, sitting himself at Douglas’ table, and there was chance it might not have been appreciated. Douglas considered Martin for a moment, before answering.

“As long as you don’t show up late.”

Martin’s head snapped up, looking pleasantly surprised, and a wide grin spread across his face.

“Deal!”

Douglas grinned in return.

“Well then, let me just say, Martin Crieff, it was pleasure to meet you.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Marlas and 'Shades of Gray'

“Douglas?”

“Yes, dear?”

“'Flannel Gray’, ‘Cathedral Gray’, ’ _Grape Creme_ ’? 'Stargazer’, 'Tin Foil’, 'Paper Sketch’? Please explain to me how these are all different colors.”

“Well Martin, while admittedly, there is a far bigger than necessary selection, if one looks closely, one can differentiate the shades of gray in all these color swatches. In fact, I’d even go so far as to estimate at least 50 of them.”

Martin immediately turned to smack Douglas on the arm, only eliciting a grin in response. He huffed.

“Douglas! Stop being annoying and help me pick a paint color.”

“Martin, it’s a wall, I don’t particularly care what exact shade of gray it ends up being.”

“That’s not the point!”

“Then what, pray tell, is?”

“We’re moving into a new house together! That’s a big step, and we should be deciding everything together like, uh, like a proper couple. I-It’s part of the experience.”

Douglas eyed Martin for a moment, causing the other man to flush under the scrutiny, before smiling softly, conceding the point.

“Lets just get several samples and try them out, shall we?”

“Right. Right, right, yes, maybe they’ll look different actually on the wall.”

=

“…”

“…”

“..Douglas…”

“Yes, Martin?”

“Why do they all look the same?!”

Martin continued making frustrated sounds as he angrily went back to looking at color wheels, and Douglas heaved a sigh. He quietly reflected that with how easy and warm everything else was with Martin, they had to have some bumps somewhere. He supposed he should be thankful it wasn’t anything more severe than paint colors.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Douglas and 'Dead Wrong'

The four members of MJN were striding down the terminal, casually chatting among themselves. Douglas walked between the steward and the captain, the CEO leading the way by a half-step. The first officer made some flippant remark, waving a hand dismissively, but the steward’s grin widened, and the captain appeared to be choking on laughter. The CEO was wearing a grin that vaguely resembled a shark, but her eyes were warm. Chatter was easy, conversation was light, and the air about them all was warm and familiar and relaxed. There was a closeness, a sense of affection and comfort between them that spoke volumes of how they must all feel about each other. Like less of a company and more of a family.

As they continued to walk, the steward was talking excitedly, the CEO was smiling, the captain was grinning, and Douglas…Douglas looked happy. He looked happy and content in a way that almost made no sense to anyone who knew his past. He should be depressed, angry, upset, he should be cursing his life and feeling pathetic and, and, and-

 

And certainly not tossing his head back and letting loose a deep, rumbling laugh, eyes crinkling in delight and full of mirth. He should be anything but what he clearly was, and the old, retired Air England pilot who was observing this group realized that he had been dead wrong. When he had spoken recently to Herc Shipwright and heard where Douglas Richardson had ended up, he had thought the man would be bitter and miserable. Obviously not. Watching the group of four pass him, he shook his head. Of course Douglas Richardson, with his infernal good luck, would have fallen so far and still come out a winner.


End file.
